So Steven Stamkos, we know now, won’t be traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning on or before the National Hockey League trade deadline on Feb. 29.

We’ll take Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman’s word for it. There’s no reason why we wouldn’t.

Yet it’s not going to quell much the speculation — or hope, in the minds of some Maple Leafs fans — that Stamkos will head home and sign with Toronto when free agency opens in July, if he has not re-signed with Tampa.

There is the thinking that the Leafs were clearing financial space for Stamkos when they unloaded the Dion Phaneuf contract on their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators, last week.

It was a great move by general manager Lou Lamoriello. The money saved with getting rid of the Phaneuf contract is earmarked for use, obviously, on a high-profile player at some point.

Automatically tying it to Stamkos is a shot in the dark, and nothing Yzerman said on Monday changes that.

Fact is, it’s too early to get a firm handle on where Stamkos is going to be playing in 2016-17.

It’s unfortunate, however, that we can end the notion that Stamkos might have been in one dressing room at the Air Canada Centre on the morning of Feb. 29 and in another one down the hall for that night’s game. The Lightning visits the Leafs that evening.

Lamoriello is going to be a busy man in the next two weeks, or is going to try to be. Nothing he does will involve Stamkos.

One more intriguing bit regarding the Leafs’ coming surplus of cash. Hockey columnist Larry Brooks of the New York Post on the weekend floated the idea that New York Islanders captain John Tavares, who becomes a free agent in 2018, might cast a serious look at the Leafs.

It’s a long shot today. Funny how these things can get started, though.

FROM THE HASH MARKS

Harsh start for the Leafs in Chicago on Monday night. Centre Byron Froese gave the puck to Hawks forward Brandon Mashinter in the neutral zone, and within a few seconds, Mashinter fired the puck over James Reimer’s catching glove. When the Leafs went down 1-0, it marked the 16th time in 17 games they allowed the opening goal … Reimer could have reached out and touched all four of his teammates on the ice when Andrew Shaw made it 2-0 during a Chicago power play at 11:39 of the first. None of the penalty-killing Leafs picked up a loose puck during a scramble … The Froese giveaway wasn’t something the Hawks needed. By the time Chicago won 7-2, it had scored four power-play goals in a game for the first time since December 2010 … Jake Gardiner tried to go end to end, lost the puck at the Hawks blue line and then got on his horse to come back and check Andrew Desjardins before the Chicago forward could take advantage of a scoring opportunity. Gardiner doesn’t have the long-term potential that Morgan Rielly does, but if there’s anything close on the blue line to an untouchable beyond Rielly, how can it not be Gardiner? … Forward Nick Spaling hasn’t scored since Feb. 15, 2015, a span of 59 games. Spaling had a wonderful chance in the second period. Instead, Hawks goalie Scott Darling stretched out across the crease and caught an attempt by Spaling, who thought he had an open net … The brutal state of the Leafs lineup can be summed up in the presence on the power play of Colin Greening, who was unable to find a job with the Ottawa Senators … P.A. Parenteau uses that quick release — similiar to the one he used to score in the third period — a few more times and he will punch his trade ticket out of town.

POINT SHOTS

The Leafs have played an NHL-low 23 home games (going 8-8-7), but will play 15 of their next 19 games at the ACC, starting on Thursday when the New York Rangers visit. The Leafs have just nine road games remaining … Mitch Marner had two goals and an assist on Monday in the London Knights’ 5-2 win versus Flint. The Leafs’ first-round pick in 2015 has 16 points (six goals and 10 assists) in seven games in February after recording 15 points in 11 games in the month of January. Against Flint, Marner had nine shots on goal, a personal season best. Marner has 34 goals and 55 assists for 89 points in 43 games. And if you haven’t watched video of Marner’s goal versus Niagara on Friday night, what are you waiting for? … Erie Otters defenceman Travis Dermott, the Leafs’ next pick after Marner at 34th overall, should soon learn the length of a suspension from the Ontario Hockey League. As he awaited word from the OHL, Dermott was suspended indefinitely and didn’t play in the Otters’ past two games after being assessed a game misconduct for checking to the head versus Mississauga on Friday … Dmytro Timashov, picked 125th by Toronto last June, has one goal in 14 games since being acquired by the Shawinigan Cataractes from the Quebec Remparts in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. However, the talented forward has 21 assists in that span and is ninth in QMJHL scoring with 75 points.

Too early to determine where Stamkos will wind up

So Steven Stamkos, we know now, won’t be traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning on or before the National Hockey League trade deadline on Feb. 29.

We’ll take Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman’s word for it. There’s no reason why we wouldn’t.

Yet it’s not going to quell much the speculation — or hope, in the minds of some Maple Leafs fans — that Stamkos will head home and sign with Toronto when free agency opens in July, if he has not re-signed with Tampa.

There is the thinking that the Leafs were clearing financial space for Stamkos when they unloaded the Dion Phaneuf contract on their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators, last week.

It was a great move by general manager Lou Lamoriello. The money saved with getting rid of the Phaneuf contract is earmarked for use, obviously, on a high-profile player at some point.

Automatically tying it to Stamkos is a shot in the dark, and nothing Yzerman said on Monday changes that.